From the day of their first kiss, it had been impossible to keep their relationship quiet even if they had wanted to. Even if Starlight could have been trusted to be discrete about what she had seen, too many other ponies had seen the sudden and unexpected closeness the two had shared; after all the pair were both readily identifiable local celebrities. Naturally enough, gossip spread fast and neither made any attempt to deny their new status as a couple.
Rarity never even bothered to take stock of how far her views had changed in a few short days; she was happy. She had never appreciated what it could feel like to be in a relationship where her partner was not making constant demands of her all the time as it had always been with stallions; she had just grown to accept that as being part of the deal. This was different; Rainbow was a celebrity in her own right and more well-known than her, so there were no demands to be paraded at media events – quite the opposite.
Then there were the moments of intimacy that Rarity had shared with whoever the stallion friend of the moment happened to be. None had ever really taken the time she wanted to get her into the right state of mind and her body properly prepared before events took over and she had always been left brutalised and unsatisfied, but again she had accepted this as part of the deal. Rainbow wasn’t like that; she would take the time to cuddle, to relax her, to float her cares away and prepare her for whatever they chose to do together. This was not a relationship of demand and compliance, but a pairing of equals and a complete revelation to her.
She now understood why Rainbow had hidden for so long behind a shield of bravado and still couldn’t believe it was because this surprisingly caring pegasus had been scared to show her true self to her. Although she had accepted Rainbow as being the Element of Loyalty, she had always seen this attribute displayed through aggression, a fierce defender of those whom she loved. It was all so clear now that Rainbow’s loyalty could also be displayed more tenderly with a cherished partner, but she had never had a means of showing it before.
Granted, Rarity had always known herself to be talented, a cut above the rest and had risen to play the part, but she had never even realised that there was somepony close to her who was even more special in a way that she hadn’t even allowed to be seen. Rarity felt humbled, realising for the first time that she had all along been holding the happiness of another, indeed her very destiny in her hooves all this time. She felt guilty for her past actions and considered for the first time how Rainbow must have felt all along, and realised abruptly how few demands this caring pegasus had ever made of her.
Nopony had ever treated her with this level of respect before and every “good morning” was a treat to look forward to, turning over to see the mare of her dreams waiting for her with a loving smile. Any reservations she may have felt before about having a marefriend had flown away on the summer breeze; she knew there would be no going back now.
The news was met in the most part with best wishes for their happiness, but in some of the more conservative corners of Equestria there were lingering mutterings of discontent. The couple received this mixed reaction with gratitude to those who extended their good wishes, but were equally not deterred by those who were more backward looking as they planned the next stage in their relationship.
During the course of time, Rainbow and Rarity became acknowledged as one of the most devoted couples in Equestria, each encouraging and supporting the other in achieving their dreams, always the first to praise when things succeeded and the first to catch their partner if things didn’t work out. Indeed couples who had been hiding their own relationships for fear of adverse comment now had high profile role models to aspire to, and single ponies wrestling with their own sexuality against societal expectations felt empowered to follow their hearts; to finally be true to themselves.
It was no understatement to say that their relationship had ushered in a new spirit of enlightenment and tolerance. An unexpected spin-off from this was that they received letters from individuals and couples seeking advice on how to manage their own relationships and were called upon to speak publicly. With each appearance and each written response, their popularity grew and there was one question on everypony’s mind, but it took one of the celebrity magazines to express it in print – “When will they marry?”
They had both thought about it, but somehow it had never felt like a priority. They didn’t feel that they needed a certificate to prove their love to each other, but there was something about a ceremony in front of everypony; a public affirmation under one of the Royal Princesses that got them to thinking. Then there was also the concern about how their friends would react. This was potentially a much more important issue because it called into question the integrity of the Elements of Harmony, for if there was dissent among the friends, then the magic would be lost, leaving Equestria vulnerable.
Over the coming weeks, they took the opportunity to sound out each of their friends in turn, starting with the toughest of all to crack; the Element of Honesty. If she was out, the venture would be off. It was then with mixed emotions that the couple walked over to Sweet Apple Acres to find AJ hard at work, up to her muzzle in chores as always.
“Well, what brings you two lovebirds over to these here parts?” asked the farmer with a friendly smile.
“Can we talk, AJ?” asked Rainbow.
“Why sure, sugar” replied the earth pony, putting down her tools and wiping her forehooves off “What’s so serious as brings the both of yuh?”
“Well darling” began Rarity “It’s your honest opinion we require.”
“Not judging another fashion show I hope!” commented AJ with a wry smile.
“No; something more important” said the fashionista in all earnestness.
“More import than fashion design to Rarity?” enquired the farmer, suddenly sensing the gravitas of the situation “I’m all ears.”
“Are you, you know, happy with Rare and me being together?” asked Rainbow.
“Why sure” came the reply “It’s fine as frog fur.”
“Er, AJ; that’s another of your country-isms, isn’t it?” responded Rainbow perplexed.
“Can you translate please?” asked Rarity.
“Oh – sorry” said the orange earth pony, turning noticeable pink around her cheeks “Yeah, it’s a right nice thing you two’ve got goin’ on. I’m right pleased for yuh.”
“You see darling” picked up Rarity, adding a little nervously “We wanted to know what you thought about the two of us getting married.”
“That’s an easy one” sparked AJ immediately “You two are made for each other. I’m surprised you hadn’t thought of it afore now. Thought you was goin’ to ask me somethin’ difficult.”
“So, no problems if we went ahead then?” asked Rainbow.
“Jus’ try to make sure it’s not in apple buckin’ season, ‘cos I’m real busy round then.”
The responses from the other friends fell into the same pattern, all commenting that they had considered the two to be to all intents and purposes married already; Twilight was so excited she had sounded like Rainbow with an “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” moment on hearing the news, whilst Fluttershy said “Awwww” and Pinkie wanted to throw a party right there and then.
After a tiring round of sounding out their closest friends they finally retired to Carousel Boutique and sat down at a table opposite each other. The next step was theirs alone to take, and it was far bigger than either of them had thought when they started. Rarity poured out some wine for herself and cider for Rainbow, placing the glasses on the table. She levitated her glass and stared into the translucent yellow liquid, gently swirling it round the glass, then took a sip and placed it thoughtfully down, resting her chin on her forehooves. She broke her gaze away and looked up to see Rainbow’s rose coloured eyes looking at her, concerned.
Rainbow tilted her head slightly to one side and extended her forehooves over the table and waited. The white unicorn paused, deep in thought, then gave a broad smile and stretched her forehooves out to meet the cyan ones waiting for her.
“Shall we, darling?” she asked, her voice cracking as she spoke.
“I do” replied Rainbow.